seafood stew in pumpkin

I learned this 'Seafood stew in a pumpkin' dish from a Korean cooking show recently. It is like serving seafood stew in a steamed pumpkin instead of a serving plate.

Chinese style Mee Goreng

Pardon the less than satisfactory image quality in this post as the pictures were taken with my mobile phone. I have no plans to blog about this dish, but since it turned out really good, I thought I should capture my moment of glory and leave a trace in this humble blog ;)

table for one

Before I could even bake a batch of pineapple tarts, the Chinese lunar new year is already over!

This year, I was terribly late in preparing for the Chinese new year. I couldn't even complete my spring cleaning chores. Nevertheless, we didn't miss any of the family gatherings and feasting and were never short of any new year goodies.

Korean Style Tofu Salad

This Korean style tofu salad is an easy side dish that I will put together whenever I have some leftover salad mix.

easy okonomiyaki お好み焼き

Okonomi-yaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese savoury omelette or pancake like dish, which literally means "grill (yaki) what you like/want (okonomi)". As the name suggests, it is a very versatile dish that has many adaptations and various topping options. There are however two distinct types of okonomiyaki...the Kansai (or Osaka) style and the Hiroshima style.

Burger with oven baked sweet potato croquettes

I was reading The Experimental Cook's latest post on archar when it hit on me that, in a few years time, we will soon be two old folks at home too (^_^!)

In fact, we are already living like two old folks, especially on a weekday during school terms. Whenever my better half is at home for lunch, I will put in some extra 'effort' to prepare a decent but quick meal...just like this burger, made with store bought wholemeal buns ;p
The extra work went into making some baked croquettes which I had meant to serve as a side for dinner that evening.

onigirazu

Just after I wrote about chigiri pan or pull apart bread buns in my previous post, I came to know about onigirazu, another (not too new) food trend in Japan.

I was at the local bookstore browsing the shelves of cookbooks when the text "不用捏饭团" on a book spine caught my attention. The Chinese text means rice ball or "onigiri" that is made without having to shape or squeeze.

Easy Teriyaki Salmon

I seldom post recipes on home cook meals since I started this blog with the intention of sharing my baking experience. Furthermore, by the time I am done cooking, the lightning condition becomes unfavourable for me to take any any decent photos to share them here. Unlike baked goods, I can take my time or plan it in such a way that I could photograph them under natural lighting, I am not able to do so for cooked dishes.

Recently I started documenting my home cooked dishes with my mobile phone, mainly for my own reference or send them to my better half to show him what he missed out on when he was away ;)

I find it so much easier to take snap shots of the food with a phone camera as I can get it done within a couple of minutes before serving the meal. Some photos turn out not too bad, that is, if they are viewed on my phone ;) The images would appear grainy if displayed on a bigger, high resolution screen. Sometimes, the colour turn out a bit off. Nonetheless, I would still like to share my daily home cooked meals here whenever I am able to take a clear image of the dish and most importantly, when I get really excited with a delicious dish that is quick and easy to prepare.

Mango Salad, two ways

I have a few large mangoes which although taste sweet but they are not that juicy and the flesh is quite firm. Usually we prefer to eat mango on its own, but this time, I used some to make salad.

cafe food at home

I am guilty again for the long absence. I have no new posts as I have not been baking that often. Instead of baking, I find myself getting more interested in cooking.

Unlike baking, I do not always follow recipes to the t when it comes to day-to-day cooking. I tend to replace or substitute ingredients freely and I could get away with eyeballing the amount of ingredients or seasonings I put in the dish. As such, I find it difficult to share cooking recipes especially when I am not a good cook to begin with.

Steamed Tofu with Egg 嫩豆腐蒸蛋

I have recently started on the road to a healthier lifestyle, being more mindful of what I put in my mouth and exercise more regularly. I am watching my diet, making sure I increase my protein and fibre intake, but lower carb and reduce fat and sugar intake. Since young, my diet is mainly high in carb, low protein, low fibre. I am a rice, noodles, bread person, so it is quite challenging to plan my meals to cater to my diet and the rest of the family.

just one bowl

I serve this simple rice bowl dish whenever my children are home for lunch especially during the school holidays. It is something that can be put together in a jiffy as my mornings tend to be shorter during this time of the year. We have the luxury to sleep in, unlike during the school terms we do not have to start our day at the crack of dawn.

My children are not fussy when it comes to home-cooked food...they will finish whatever I prepare for them. They like their greens, can take spicy food and have no issues with brown or multi grain rice. It is a different story when it comes to eating out though. When they are given options, they can make things difficult.

fuss free comforting soup

As the weather gets cooler during this rainy season, my thoughts turn to warming stews, porridge and soups. With my kitchen helper the Bosch MaxoMixx hand blender set, I am now able to make thick, creamy soup with great ease.

life seems to go faster

Time seems to go faster as I get older. Do you feel the same? That is, only if you are as old as me...

It seems like it was only last weekend when the first school semester ended, and we hopped off to a one week retreat. The days followed just flashed past and before I could complete the first task on my wish-to-do list, the four weeks school holidays were already over!

I was stuck with my children 24/7 during the school holidays. While I enjoy their company, it was not fun having to think of what to prepare for lunch everyday. Whenever they are at home for lunch, I would make their favourites such as pizza, sandwiches, Japanese curry rice, pasta dishes, baked rice, noodles...simple meals that do not require too much preparation, fume free and with minimal cleaning. It is not an exhaustive list, and I got to the bottom of it within two weeks.

It's a blessing that my brain still functions fairly well even though I am getting older each day.

With left over ingredients from making pizza, Japanese curry rice, I came up with this baked rice with Japanese curry. To make it even more wholesome and hearty, I topped it with an egg, very much to my kids' delight as both of them love runny yolks.

This is my serving, smaller portion and without any eggs. I didn't manage to take a picture of those with eggs as my boys were too eager to tuck in. It is a nice change from the usual Japanese curry with rice dish and a new variation to my lists of baked rice dishes.

I read that routines tend to make time flies while new and unique experiences slow down time. For example, the journey seems to take longer when we first travelled to a new place, whereas the return journey (on the same route) appear to be faster, and if you were to take the same route frequently it no longer seems that long to travel to that same destination.

Trying new things, creating unique experiences and engaging in memorable events and moments are some of the ways to psychologically slow down time.  This is quite true for me as I find my days are much longer whenever I went for a holiday trip, away from the routines of endless household chores ;)

While I do not have the luxury to go for holidays frequently (I am definitely not worried that it will ever become a routine), what I could do is, from now on, I shall make it a point to venture further out of my comfort zone to create new culinary experience both for myself and for my family.


Baked Japanese Curry Rice

Ingredients:
(makes 4 servings)

200g meat (pork or beef or boneless chicken thigh), clean and cut into bite size
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 to 3 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into bite size chunks
1 large carrot, peeled, cut into bite size chunks
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
50g (3 small cubes) Japanese curry roux* (I used Kokumaro brand, medium hot)
1 tablespoon ketchup

4 cups cooked rice
1 cup broccoli floret
4 eggs
some shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese (or combination of both)


Method:

1. Blanch broccoli with boiling water (add a pinch of salt into the water) for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Saute chopped onions with the vegetable oil in a deep pan until translucent and lightly browned. Add in the minced garlic and meat, saute the meat till lightly browned. Add in potatoes and carrots and stir fry for a couple of minutes. 
3. Add the water (use enough water to cover the ingredients) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for about 10~15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
4. Add curry roux and ketchup, simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickens. Keep stirring to ensure the curry roux is fully dissolved.*Add another cube of curry roux, if necessary, to adjust the thickness of the curry to your preference. 
5. For each serving, place 1 cup of cooked rice in an oven-proof dish. Place 1/4 portion of the Japanese curry over the rice. Put some blanched broccoli on top. With a spoon, make a slight dent in the middle and crack in 1 egg. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese. Repeat the same with the remaining servings.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degC for about 10~15 mins or until the cheese turn golden brown and the eggs are almost set. 

pizza in a cuppa

I don't know what has got into me when I googled using the key words 'pizza muffins'.

I have some left over cheese, ham and pineapples after making a seafood pizza and a hawaiian pizza. Not knowing what to do with the leftover ingredients, I surfed the net for recipe ideas. Nothing much inspires me when I searched using the words such as 'ham and pineapple'. A silly thought suddenly came to my mind and I typed 'pizza muffins' in the search box. I wasn't expecting anything at all...but to my surprise, pizza muffins is actually nothing new!

It took me no time to decide on this Hawaiian pizza muffins by Donna Hay since I have most of the ingredients on hand. I halved the recipe and adapted it slightly as I needed to substitute a couple of the ingredients.

These delicious savoury muffins smell just like pizzas when they are baking in the oven! They are great for afternoon snacks and certainly a great way to use up any left over pizza ingredients :)


Hawaiian Pizza Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 9)

225g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (optional)
105g grated cheddar (divide into 60g and 45g portion)
100g ham, chopped
100g chopped pineapple, drained
80ml vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I replaced with 2 tablespoons pasta sauce)
1 egg
120ml milk

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Sieve flour, baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add salt, mixed herbs (if using), 60g of the grated cheese, ham and pineapple, mix to combine. 
• Place the oil, tomato paste (I used pasta sauce), egg and milk in a bowl and whisk to combine. 
• Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, with a spatula mix until just combined. 
• Spoon into 1/3 cup-capacity (80ml) paper muffin cups and sprinkle top with remaining cheese. 
• Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. These muffins are best served freshly baked. Any leftovers can be stored in air tight containers. Warm them in the oven before serving. 

Recipe source: adapted from Donna Hay.

oven grilled mackerel

I am not a good cook.

It is an overstatement to even consider myself a cook. After several years of preparing meals for my family, my culinary knowledge and experience doesn't go beyond the entry-level.

So, naturally, I was elated when I could pull something together which was easy, quick, yet deliciously yummy and best of all with minimal cleaning up and no culinary skills required! (I know, my cooking skills will never improve if I stick to simple dishes forever, lol)

Here's sharing a simple fume free dish with anyone who hates cleaning up an oily kitchen after frying fish. No, I am not talking about using cookwares such as the happycall pans, which I don't own any...but grilling fish with my trustworthy oven ;)

It was really by chance and a real coincident when I saw whole mackerel or saba fish at the wet market. I had actually cooked the same dish the night before, but with frozen saba fillets not the whole fish. The fish wasn't that expensive, at four dollars for one whole fish which worked out to be almost the same price as the frozen fillets I bought earlier.

From lesson learned the night before, I realised mackerel is a very oily fish! The fillets were literally sitting on a tray of oil after they were out from the oven. The skin side was very crispy but not the meat side. For the whole fish, I did a little improvisation. I first lined my roasting pan with foil, to help in easy cleaning, before placing the rack inside the pan. I then cut a sheet of baking paper, that fits just nicely over the rack. The baking paper prevents the fish from sticking onto the rack and I won't have the tough job of scrubbing the rack later (you could use foil too, but I try not to have my food come into direct contact with aluminum foil). To allow the oil to drip down the rack, so that the fish would not be swimming in its own oil, I cut random small holes on the baking paper. All you need to do is to hold the paper a few times, and snip off small corners on the folds.

With my limited knowledge, I have always thought that cutting slits on fish helps it to cook faster, gets it cooked through and also for it to be well marinated. But for grilling saba fish, I learned that the slits also help prevent the skin from 'bursting' or 'shrinking' as it cooks in the oven. So this is a step that one shouldn't over look.

The mackerels were only lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, nothing else. I set the oven to the grill or is it broil(?) function...that is, top heat with fan mode. The fishes are cooked on high heat so that the skin is crispy but the inside is cooked through but moist and juicy. Never over cook saba as it tends to turn dry rather quickly.

Gorgeous grilled mackerels from my oven! I would probably end up with a plate of torn and tattered fishes if I were to pan fry them in the wok ;)

I was pleasantly surprised at how moist and juicy the mackerels had turned out. It reminds me of the grilled mackerels we had in Seoul.  My kids and I had a great time enjoying our long dinner...we cleaned up the mackerels from head to tail...even my younger child enjoyed eating the fish head and found it amusing feeding his brother with the fish eye...his way of showing his affections towards his brother ;) The only downside was, mackerels have got lots of fish bones! I had to keep reminding them to be careful and not to talk when eating the fish. You bet, this dish is going to be a regular on our dinning table. Never mind that my cooking skills hardly improves, such simple and easy meal is the way to go, for me.



Oven Grilled Mackerel

Ingredients:

whole mackerels
salt (I use sea salt)
grounded black pepper
some olive oil
lemon or lime wedges


Preparation:

• Clean and rinse the fish and pat dry with kitchen paper towels. Cut several slits on both sides (do not cut through). Rub some salt inside the fish and on the skin. Set aside for about 30 minutes. The salt will draw out some of the fishy taste.
• Set oven to Grill or Broil function and preheat to 200 degC.
• Rinse the fishes again. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.  
• Lightly rub skin with a little olive oil (just to prevent sticking). Lightly sprinkle some salt and freshly grounded black pepper on both sides. 
• Set the fish on a baking tray lined with foil (lightly oil the foil), or on the rack of a roasting pan (line the pan with foil and brush the rack with oil, or line the rack with parchment paper as described above).
• Cook fish (place it at a higher rack position, nearer to the top heat) in preheated oven for 10~12 mins, turning once in between. Do not overcook. Transfer fish to a serving plate and serve immediately with lemon or lime wedges. 

street food at home

During our last trip to South Korea, we had chance to sample the various street food such as hoddeok, tornado potato, waffles and toasted sandwiches. There is this particular street food, Gyeran Bbang, or egg bread, which I had wanted to try. It looks somewhat like a muffin topped with an egg. I first chanced upon it on a travel and food website while I was planning for the trip. I thought my elder son would like it since he loves eggs...in any form.

Ironically, even though we passed by street vendors selling gyeran bbang on a few occasions, we didn't get to try it! We were either too full after our dinners or we were too tired and cold...all we wanted to do was to get back to our warm and cosy hotel room!


In order to satisfy my cravings for Korean food, I have been looking up for recipes to replicate some of the Korean dishes at home. I first saw a gyeran bbang recipe over at Aeri's Kitchen, the egg breads look exactly like the ones we saw along the streets in Seoul. I have planned to follow the recipe but hesitated because I don't have that unusual oval-shaped muffin pan, in fact, I don't even own a normal muffin pan. I have thought of baking them in paper muffin cups, but when I stumbled upon another version (with the egg on top) from K Food Addict, it struck me that I could actually use my ramekins to bake these egg breads!



So, one fine Saturday morning, I got down to prepare these egg breads first thing in the morning. It was rather quick and easy, I took only 15 mins to get everything into the oven. Breakfast was ready in no time!



I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the egg bread turned out. The eggs were not overcooked as we really prefer runny egg yolks. The 'bread' texture was on the dense side, not as fluffy as muffins, but instead reminds me of pancakes. I will certainly make these again since they are so tasty and yet easy to put together!


Korean Egg Bread (Gyeran Bbang)

Ingredients:
(makes 6)

for batter:
100g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
120ml (1/2 cup) fresh milk

for filling:
6 small eggs
1 bacon slice (chopped into small pieces)
some salt
dried parsley flakes (optional)
some ground pepper

some butter (for greasing)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190 degC.
2. Grease the inside of 6 ramekins (6 oz size ramekins) with butter, set aside. 
3. Place plain flour, baking powder, sugar an salt in a mixing bowl. Stir with a manual balloon whisk to combine.
4. Add in eggs and vanilla extract, stir with the whisk. The mixture will come together and turn dry and lumpy.
5. Add in the milk little by little, keep stirring with the whisk until the batter becomes smooth (no more lumps).
6. Pour batter into the prepared ramekins, fill each ramekin to about 1/3 full (Note: do not fill more than 1/3 full as it will overflow).
7. Crack a small egg into each ramekin. Top with chopped bacon, a sprinkle of salt and parsley flakes.
8. Bake for 10~15 mins until the eggs are set. (Note:  If you prefer runny yolks, check at around 10 to 12 mins, remove from oven when the egg whites start getting set, turning white. The eggs will continue to cook further even when removed from the oven. )
9. Serve warm with freshly ground black pepper.

Note: use small eggs to prevent overflow.

Recipe source: Kfoodaddict.com

culinary experiment: tuna mayo kimbap

This is my very first attempt at making kimbap or Korean style seaweed rice rolls.

The first time I tasted kimbap was along Meokja Golmok (literally translated as let's eat alley), a busy food alley cramped with street food vendors in Nampo-dong, Busan.

We were there to try the famous street food, bibim dangmyeon (glass noodles mixed with vegetables and red pepper sauce). It was included in our 'die die must try' food list after having seen it on 'Tasty Road', a Korean food and travel program. It was quite an experience having to cramp in front of the tiny 'table', with our knees and elbows brushing against each other as we tucked into the delicious bowls of noodles, right in the middle of the alley, out in the cold. It took a while for me to get used to sitting on the low plastic stools as our knees came up to as high as the table (see above picture on left), with our bags and camera on our lap as we ate...there was no space to put our belongings...and not forgetting our cumbersome winter jackets! I really salute the locals, they appeared so at ease and comfortable enjoying their snack food!

Besides the dangmeyeon, we also ordered some chungmu kimbap, mini rice seaweed rolls served with odengs (fishcake) to try. Never mind the food presentation, these mini kimbap and the damgmeyoeon tasted exceptional delicious! I am not able to describe the taste, you have to go try it yourself ;)

It has been more than two months since we came back from our South Korea trip. I thought I have almost recovered from Korean food withdrawal syndrome as the Chinese lunar new year feasting binge took over. But when I saw this easy and simple tuna rice rolls recipe from a cookbook which I borrowed from the library, I started craving for Korean food all over again! This book, 'Good Morning! 每天都要吃早餐: 10分鐘就能上桌的小確幸早餐提案', is actually a collection of breakfast recipes written by a Korean author. I doubt I will ever be able to get these rolls on my breakfast table in 10 mins (as suggested by the title of this cookbook), I made these tuna rolls for a light lunch instead.

Making these tuna mayo seaweed rolls was actually not that difficult for me since I have experience making sushi rolls or maki. Prior to making these mini kimbap, I have always thought kimbap and sushi rolls are the same, at least they look the same to me. It was only after some googling around, I learned that there is actually a difference between the two. The sushi rice is prepared with rice vinegar, sugar and salt; while the kimbap is made with rice that is usually seasoned with sesame oil and salt. I find it much easier to make kimbap as the rice is not as sticky as sushi rice, making it less messy (for me!) to spread it onto to the seaweed. I didn't use dried seaweed sheets meant for rice rolls, I experimented with salted, toasted crispy Korean seaweed sheets instead(that was what I have in my pantry cupboard). Luckily, I was able to roll up the rice rolls neatly, the seaweed didn't tear or give way, lol!

I made these specially for my younger child who loves canned tuna and sushi. I wouldn't say these mini kimbap are to die for since there is only one main ingredient. Both of us prefer the sesame oil flavour rice even though it didn't taste as soft as sushi rice. No matter how simple it is, nothing beats home cooked meals, I really enjoyed our once a week,  just the two of us, weekday lunch together. Hmmm...will have to start thinking what to prepare for our next lunch date ;)


Simple Tuna Mayo Kimbap

Ingredient:
(serves 2)

2 cups uncooked Short grain rice (cup here refers to the standard measuring cup provided by rice cooker)
2 teaspoons sesame oil (adjust according to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust according to taste)

1 can tuna chunks
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I use Japanese mayonnaise, Kewpie brand)
some freshly cracked black pepper
some dried parsley flakes (optional)

4 sheets roasted seaweed


Method:

Cook 2 cups rice with 2 cups water in rice cooker. When the rice is cooked, leave in rice cooker for 15mins. Remove cooked rice from rice cooker. While the rice is still hot, add sesame oil and salt, mix with rice paddle, add more sesame oil or salt if desired. Leave aside to cool (about 5 to 10mins) while preparing the tuna filling.

Drain the water/oil from the canned tuna. Mix in mayonnaise, black pepper and dried parsley flakes (if using). Set aside.

Place a sheet of roasted seaweed with the shiny side down on a sushi bamboo mat. Divide rice into 4 portions. Spread 1 portion of the rice (should still be a little warm, not completely cold or hot) evenly onto the seaweed, leaving about 1/2 inch of open strip on bottom and about 2 inches on top (the rice should cover about 2/3 of the seaweed). Place tuna mixture,  length wise, on the rice, roll up from the bottom. Repeat with the remaining rice.

Wet a sharp knife with water or rub with some sesame oil. Cut each roll into 6 pieces (wet the knife after each cut to prevent sticking). Arrange cut rolls on plate, if the rolls are not served immediately, cover with cling wrap.

weeknight special

A medley of colour...ready to pop into the oven...

25 minutes later...

dinner was ready...

our weeknight special...roasted seabass with potatoes, tomatoes, celery, rosemary, garlics, lemon,  olive oil, salt and pepper...

I can't believe I am actually capable enough to pull together a dish like this!

Well, since there is no real cooking involved...even a lousy cook like me could prepare this meal without feeling intimidated ;)

My kitchen was filled with the lovely aroma of rosemary while the fish was cooking in the oven. I love rosemary! The fish didn't taste dry even though it was cooked uncovered. It tasted just like steamed fish.

It's the first time I have eaten roasted fish with potatoes...somehow I feel that the potatoes are a bit out of place here...maybe because I am so used to roasted chicken and potatoes. I probably need a bit of getting used to such combo. The tomatoes and celery went well with the fish though. I do not know the origin of this dish, but it reminds me of Mediterranean cuisine. It is a very healthy, nutritious meal (to me)...there is fish and lots of roasted vegetables, the dish is light as it is seasoned with only salt and pepper. This is something I will 'cook' again and again...


Roasted Seabass with Potatoes & Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2~3 floury potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 fresh sea bass, gutted and cleaned
4 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
8 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 lemon, slice 1/2 of the lemon, reserve the other half
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
8 ~ 10 cherry tomatoes
sea salt
freshly grounded black pepper
olive oil


Method:

- Preheat oven to 220 degC.
- Put potatoes into a pot of water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Make a few diagonal slashes on the flesh of the fish. Rub the fish with a mild seasoning of salt, pepper and olive oil. Place some rosemary sprigs, some garlic cloves, 1 to 2 lemon slices inside the cavity of the fish.
- Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil (or use a roasting pan lined with baking paper). Place some celery, rosemary sprigs, garlic cloves in the dish and lay the fish on top of the vegetables. Place the par-boiled potatoes, cherry tomatoes, remaining garlic, celery, rosemary sprigs and lemon slices around the fish. Sprinkle sea salt, freshly grounded black pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil.
- Roast for about 25 ~ 30mins until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with a squeeze of the remaining half lemon along with the roasted vegetables.

Recipe source: adapted from Food and Travel magazine

butterflied roast chicken

I first saw this honey sesame roast chicken over at Min's blog, and was reminded again when I hopped over to Jessie's blog a couple of days ago. The recipe came so timely, as I had planned to roast a chicken over the long weekend =)

I have no intention to post this up as I knew I would have problem taking photos in the evening. When I was plating the dish, my elder son came over to ask whether he could take a picture of the roast chicken. He told me he could adjust the camera settings to compensate the poor lighting, and so I gladly hand over the role of photographer. His brother was happy to be his assistant, trying his best to bounce some light to the subject from his touch light to my baking tray (^^") I didn't expect anything decent since we do not have any external flash and it was already very dark. Fortunately, the picture quality was good enough for me to post his photos here, at least no one would mistake the chicken for something else ;)

I butterflied (or spatchcock) the chicken before roasting hoping that the chicken would brown evenly. Yet, some parts tend to brown faster so I had to cover it with foil to prevent it from getting burnt. I roasted it for close to an hour, turning it over in between and basting it with the marinate before returning to the oven.

The original recipe calls for honey, but I replaced it with maple syrup since I did not have any honey on hand. Nevertheless, the roast chicken still tasted as good as I had expected or imagined, it was tender and juicy. I had it with rice while the rest were having a good time wrapping up the chicken meat with tortilla wraps. The roasted vegetables were really good, especially the roasted sweet potatoes and onions! I would gladly eat the veggies even without any chicken. There is no doubt about it...this is going to be a regular visitor on our table. Thanks to Min and Jessie for sharing their wonderful recipes!